The History of Lake Titicaca Jordan Gootnik Lake Titicaca which lies in the Andes Mountains on the Bolivian Altiplano between the eastern and western cordillera, is the highest navigable lake in the world at an altitude of 12,506 feet (3810m). The Lake is 177 km (110mi) long and has an average width of 56 km (35mi). Covering an area of about 8,300 km2 (3200 mi2), it is fed by more than 25 tributaries and drained by the Rio Desaguadero (which is currently being dammed). A small southeastern basin called Uinamarca is linked with the northwestern part, Chucuito, by the narrow Strait of Tiquina. Chucuito has a maximum depth of about 280 m. (920 ft), which keeps the waters at an annual average temperature of 11 deg C (51 deg F). It is for this reason that it is possible to grow crops such as corn and potatoes at such a high altitude. Two species of fish are indigenous to the lake, killfish and catfish as well as the introduced trucha, or trout.

Pre-Columbian culture occupied the shores of the lake from about 100 AD to perhaps 1000 AD. Within Tiahuanaco's ruins archaeologists have labeled six architectural complexes, all of which were used for religious ceremonies. The most important structure, the Kalasasaya, is near the center of the site; the Subterranean Temple lies to the east, and the enclosures of Putuni. Laka Kollu, and Q'eri Kala are on the west. The Kalasasaya, a large, enclosed platform, is the site of the famous Gate of the Sun, at the center of which is a figure wearing a radiating headdress and carrying a staff in each hand. At the center of the Subterranean Temple stood the 7.3 m-tall (22 ft) Bennett Stele (named for its discoverer), which shows a figure in head dress carrying a large beaker in one hand and a shell in the other. Settled since prehistoric times by Aymara Indians, the shores of the lake remain densely populated. Modern steamboats and traditional reed boats (balsas de totora) connect the lakeside settlements.

The Aymara speaking people, called Uros, are famous for their totora reed boats. These boats called balsas are primarily used for fishing. These boats were sometimes affixed with sails, also made from reeds. The use of these boats today has now become obsolete, and are only used as a tourist attraction.

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